Entrance
Entrance is the first chapter of . Synopsis Draco is eavesdropping on the other three occupants of the safe room, who are still in the bathroom. Potter is talking with Freeman, who reveals that her father is Sirius Black, and that he never wanted to hurt Potter, who apparently knew that already. She also reveals that Black visited her and her mother the previous summer and has been writing her letters: he has told her a lot about Potter. Draco is surprised, but strives to remember all of this, particularly the note of jealousy when Potter says that Black never told him about her: there might well be some opportunity to sow discord there. Granger is trying to reassure Potter that Black wasn't trying to hide anything from him, but Potter stomps out of the bathroom complaining that he didn't have any trouble writing about him to Freeman. He glares at Draco, who smiles smugly at him but wisely holds his tongue, and barges into one of the bedrooms. He levitates one of the beds out and puts it in the corner, suggesting that Draco retire to the bedroom and stay there. Draco points out that he is still tied up so Potter slices the ropes using Diffindo…and splits Draco's robe-sleeve, apparently not so much by accident. He glares at Draco, but they hardly start exchanging insults before Granger reprimands them from the bathroom, threatening to take their wands away. Draco is not impressed by the threat, calling her a Mudblood again, but she calmly rebuffs his taunt saying she doesn't want to hurt him. He scoffs but Potter reminds him of when she smacked him, which he discounts as "Muggle stuff". Potter reveals that he has a bet going with Weasley about how long Draco could survive against Granger in a duel: apparently Weasley thinks he'd only survive two spells, whereas Potter thinks he might manage three. Draco pretends to be impressed that Potter thinks better of him than Weasley, but Potter points out that he has actually faced Draco in a duel and reckons he might get a spell off before Hermione flattens him as opposed to Weasley who thinks he would simply be flattened. Having said which, she did manage to take both of them out just now, so he's coming to agree with Weasley. Draco protests that it wasn't fair, which Potter counters by asking when he ever cared about that. He refuses to answer, instead entering the bedroom and closing the door behind him. He looks around and is not impressed: dreary and small, but at least he isn't claustrophobic. He briefly wonders which of the Gryffindors will crack first, while a small voice deep inside him wonders whether he will fare any better himself. To relieve the boredom he Summons a book from the shelves, only to drop it in disgust when he discovers it belongs to Granger. He yells through the door at Potter, who is not impressed, suggesting that he fetch his own books and take Hermione's with him. Draco refuses to touch Granger's book again, claiming it to have "Mudblood slime" on it. Freeman pushes past Potter, scoffing at him and comparing him to Muggle boys who use to complain about "cooties". She starts taking down her own books, politely refusing Potter's offer of help. Hermione arrives with Draco's books, reassuring him that she hasn't actually touched them. She takes her own and stalks out followed by the other two: Freeman sticks her tongue out at Draco before shutting the door. He picks up his Potions book and settles down to study for Snape's holiday essay, but his attention wanders to the book he picked up. Meghan pulls Hermione into the girls' bedroom to ask if Harry is really angry with her. Hermione is sure he isn't: he's cross with Sirius and she's just bearing the brunt of it because she's actually here. Hermione is curious about Sirius being her father: Meghan confirms that her Mother has never told her much about him, just that she was "the only good thing he’d ever done" and the odd funny story. It turns out that Sirius himself had not known until the previous summer: Meghan says she always wondered whether he would have done all those terrible things had he known…although now she knows he didn't. When she hears people talking about him now, knowing that he was innocent, she gets so cross…Hermione hugs her awkwardly as she becomes agitated. She says she wishes she could make a difference, help somebody as she couldn't help her father. Hermione asks when her mother found out, and it transpires that she had actually intended to tell Sirius on Halloween 1981, the day everything fell apart: if she had done so even a little bit earlier, what might have changed? Hermione shows Meghan one of her books, which she recognises, and therefore understands how nobody ever finds out what would have happened. She asks if she can read it, and Hermione offers to read it to her, expecting her to protest that she's not a baby. However Meghan accepts her offer eagerly and she starts to read: Harry is trying to read his Charms text and failing dismally, distracted by the revelation that Sirius has a daughter but never told him. He closes his book and hears Hermione reading something which he recognises, having read the Narnia books in his old school library. He tries to listen subtly but falls over when the door swings open. Meghan giggles while Hermione extends an invitation to join them: he gives the former a token glare while accepting the latter. He crawls inside and pushes the door mostly to with his foot. Draco is distracted from the book he is reading by the quiet: all he can hear is Granger who sounds like she is reading something out loud. He peeks through his keyhole and only opens his door when the main room proves to be empty. He sits down in the chair to which he was tied earlier and listens: it's a story, about a boy and a talking horse.…and this would be The Horse and His Boy. Draco scoffs but stays to listen until Granger yawns: it's nearly eleven o'clock! To his annoyance she is more bothered about checking her Transfiguration Notes about a question she had for Professor McGonagall than continuing the story, and Potter offers to help her. Draco scurries back to his room just as Meghan emerges from the other door. As he fulminates over not knowing what would happen next in the story, he watches her through his door-hinge and sees her climbing inside the wardrobe…and tumbling out of it only a moment later looking exultant. She turns round and re-enters the wardrobe and Draco follows to see what she is up to. She is nowhere to be seen, so he climbs inside himself and is surprised when it proves to be deeper than expected. Meghan runs joyfully through the woods, happy to confirm that this wasn't a dream. She blows a kiss to the lamppost she passes and finds her way to a stream at the bottom of a hill where willows grow. She calls to her new friend, a Dryad named Oren, and he asks whether she is alone. She thinks someone might have come, but for now she just wanted to see him again, by which he professes to be flattered. However, he reminds her, to defeat the White Wizard will require full-blooded Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve: the current sovereigns of Narnia have only enough human blood in them to keep him at bay. Meghan brandishes her wand and Oren laughs at her eagerness but cautions her not to harm her subjects before she's even been crowned. She wonders about that, since the Pevensie children had to earn their crowns by fighting, but Oren does not know…not being Aslan himself. She points out the problem: her friends, Harry and Hermione, won't be a problem but the fourth of their number is horrid and everybody says he's always been that way. Oren asks what "everybody" has been saying about her father and she blushes, acknowledging the parallel. But she insists that she has seen how Draco acts for herself and suffered from it. Oren considers for a moment before reminding her that people do change. She is not convinced. Draco is convinced that he is going slightly mad: he's next to a lamppost in a forest inside a wardrobe. But the most pressing question is who is standing next to the lamppost: tall and thin with dark hair, he thinks he ought to know. The man asks him his name, saying that he supposes that a Son of Adam will do as well as the Daughter of Eve that his spy spoke of. Draco gives his name and the man asks about the snake on his robes: he replies that it is the mark of his house: The man sighs with satisfaction and invites Draco to talk, for he plans to be King of Narnia and Draco could be very useful… Appearing * Harry Potter * Hermione Granger * Meghan Freeman * Draco Malfoy * Oren, a Dryad * a mysterious man Notes See also * *